A Merry Christmas Wish!!!

Dear Family and Friends, 12/2008

Hello to all! Our 2008 has gone by in a pleasant flash! Does time get stuck in fast forward with a household of 3 kids? Instead of trying to review the excitement of the past year in this short letter, check out www.pletchparadise.blogspot.com. We post photos and blog regularly. You’ll catch up on our entire year.

Dylan (11), Ryan (8) and Rachel (7) keep us busy with school and various extra-curricular activities. They are getting older and we continue to learn to joys and challenges of parenting. Just when I think I can’t listen to one more sibling squabble or help solve their never-ending issues with each other, I overhear them making plans to sleep together on Christmas Eve so they can play games together if they wake up too early. Thank goodness for those moments!

Rebecca and I are busy with our family, as well as continuing our part-time business pursuits. She jokes that our mid-life crisis has manifested itself in the form of fitness activities. I am only doing my best, trying to keep up with a half-marathon, triathlon, yoga and weightlifting wife. Phew.

We wish you and your family a very blessed Holiday Season!

AC/DC Live Review

December 21, 2008
LIVE REVIEW: AC/DC

Lead singer Brian Johnson and guitarist Angus Young propel a sonic assault into the crowd Sunday at the St. Pete Times Forum. The years haven’t changed them much -- and that’s a good thing. [GEN YAMAGUCHI | Times

TAMPA -- When it comes to reviewing an AC/DC show, the ultimate grade is hinged not on guitar theatrics or Satan-inspired setlist. Nope, it’s all about hearing loss. And after listening to the Aussie legends dismantle the St. Pete Times Forum on Sunday -- seven rows from the stage, no less -- I can confidently say: WHAT?!

Oh, this was awesome, filthy, eardrum-shredding fun. Thirty-five years after being born to the Gods of Loudness and Libido, AC/DC still takes great pride in drilling its way into our heads, hearts and all points south. Led by the hellhound howl of Sarasota resident Brian Johnson and schoolboy-uniformed guitarist Angus Young, the hall of famers had no use for nuance or ballads or, you know, quiet.

Instead, touring for the first time since 2001, they were about as subtle as the life-size locomotive that exploded from the stage to start the 100-minute spectacle.

Or the three-story inflatable stripper who straddled said train -- and kept the beat with her body parts! -- during "Whole Lotta Rosie."

Or the approximately 17-hour Angus guitar solo during "Let There Be Rock," a mind-blowing, fastest-fingers display that took him from a riser in the middle of the venue (where he spun around on his back, never missing a note) all the way to a bridge behind the stage.

If you're still not impressed, keep in mind that wee Angus is 53. Bless that scrawny little sucker for still doing his infamous pasty-white striptease, too.

The crowd of 17,181, many of whom sported light-up devil horns on their shaggy heads, ate it up with roaring gusto. They even kept alert during the smattering of so-so songs from gone-platinum new album "Black Ice." Perhaps that's because the fresh stuff sounds a whole lot like the old stuff?

Never mind the negatives. This was a sinfully delicious throwdown, stuffed with all sorts of bar-fight shout-alongs that made your throat hurt as bad as your head: "Back in Black," "You Shook Me All Night Long," the utterly sublime "Shoot to Thrill."

The night's highlight was a double-defib assault of "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap" and "Thunderstruck," both of which were punctuated by Angus' prickly picking and infamous duckwalk. (For all the wowser special effects, the slyest was a moving camera under the stage, which tracked Young during his signature strut. Love it. That shoulda used that more.)

As Angus and Brian gamboled out front (gotta love Brian, built like a dockworker, smiling the whole time), rhythm guitarist Malcolm Young, bassist Cliff Williams and drummer Phil Rudd (who basically had a lit ciggie in his mouth the whole show) kept the foundations shaking but strong.

For all the bawdy hijinks, an AC/DC concert is also about tradition, about the good old days. So yes, a giant bell dropped from the heavens for "Hell's Bells." Angus sported his own devil horns for an encore version of "Highway to Hell." And they rolled out six (!) cannons for show-closer "For Those About to Rock." You better believe each of those weapons fired at least once. KABOOM, etc.

For those about to consult an ear specialist, we salute you.

December 21, 2008 in Live Shows, Reviews | Permalink

For those about to rock...we salute you

AC/DC

I got back from New Hampshire on the last day of my trip, and picked up the 3 young rockers: Dylan, Ryan and Alex. We whisked over to Tampa and found parking for the St. Pete Times Forum. Entering the forum, I felt the part of the “Pied Piper of Rock and Roll,” with my young rockers in tow. The boys were taking in all the sights of pre-concert activities.

Finding our seats, we did not wait long for the warm up band, The Answer, to start their set. It was a short set, and quick set up for the main event—AC/DC.

The show started with a fairly risqué video( whose meaning escaped our attendees) of a runaway train, and when the train crashed in a flurry of pyrotechnics, flames, and explosions, the band appeared. The boys were on their feet, and remained there for the rest of the show, clapping, rocking, and waving their fists in the air as the true rockers they are. A perma-smile was glued on each of the young rockers as the band exploded into Runaway Train, followed by Hell ain’t a bad place to be, then Back in Black, and a series of most of the old favorites.

Each successive song was a new delight in rock and roll pleasure, and no matter how loud the band performed, their volume was dwarfed by the deafening roar of the crowd‘s applause. After every tune, I was amazed at the level of intensity the old time rock and roll band could muster, as Brian strained to hit his notes in seeming pain, and Angus continued to writhe, kick, bop, gyrate, undulate, strut, and shake all in a bath of sweat, never missing a note.

These young rockers are ruined, as their first concert foray was possibly the best exhibition of true rock and roll showmanship still left on the planet today.

New England Christmas

Snowy Parents in classic pose

Sledders in NH

Snow Dylan

Ryan in the Snow

Rachel meets snow

A Snow Family

A Winter "mini" Vacation

A Winter Mini-Vacation!

December 21, 2008
This Sunday morning, I am awaiting the flight I will be flying to Orlando, while sitting in Manchester, NH Airport. Rebecca and the kids have just taken off after spending a wonderful layover in NH. The forecasted Nor’easter has just begun to arrive in Manchester, the snowfall continues to build as the jets pushing back are shrouded in fog from the deicing fluid prior to taxiing for takeoff.

Previously, Rebecca had been mentioning the possibility of taking the kids to see snow this winter, even if it was a close by destination. We had discussed North Carolina or Tennessee, and I realized I had a trip to Manchester, NH over the 20th of December. As we began checking the weather last week, it seemed that there would not be any snow over the layover date. Undaunted, we made plans for a little trip to NH which would include going to Boston for ice skating and museum touring, and we additionally had considered a local ski mountain for snow-tubing.

As the trip date drew close, Mother Nature granted Rebecca’s snow wish, and Manchester was blanketed with 8 inches of snow the day before my layover. So the plan unfolded as we had previously arranged. Rebecca and the kids met me in Orlando as I was between flights, and hopped onto the Manchester flight.

I was overjoyed as I pulled into gate 128 at Orlando International Airport to the smiles and waves of my children. As my “precious cargo” boarded the plane, I realized it was the first time I had flown all of my family as an airline pilot. It was fun for them to be on my plane.

The flight to Manchester was uneventful, and as we descended below the clouds at 6000 feet, the view of white continued since we were now in a winter wonderland!! Ryan later commented on seeing lakes, rivers, forests and roads. An interesting and enjoyable view for a load of Florida kids who have not been near the snow for several years.

The family deplaned, and although I was proud of the landing with stiff winds, a snow covered runway, and low ceilings, Rebecca stated, “that was not the best landing.” Unmiffed, we continued to the rental car counter, and boarded the mini van to Nashua, and the Southwest layover hotel. Along the way, we really felt as though Christmas was near as we passed the neighborhoods of “Christmas card beauty” with wreaths, and candle lights in the windows of the colonial style homes, and observed nature’s winter beauty of snow covered trees and landscapes. The snow continued and we discussed all manners of winter topics.

At Nashua, we checked into the hotel, and quickly donned our winter attire, which was mostly borrowed from no less than 6 neighborhood families. The kids could not wait to go jump into the snow and winter activities.

Our destination was any nearby sledding hill, so we first stopped at Target to get 3 saucers and a plastic sled. Next it was off to Greely Park in Nashua, where we plowed into all the types of childhood snow-filled winter activities. Sledding was a bit slow, and the temperature made hard-packed snow balls difficult to make, but the family continued in an enthusiastic manner to burrow in, eat, throw, jump into, and sled through the glorious snow.

The family’s excitement level brought to mind the first snow storm of the year back at Kings Point as the Hawaiians and (Panamanians?) were giddy-like as they observed the white particles magically falling from the heavens.

The entire afternoon was spent in winter bliss, and as the cold set in, and the sunlight disappeared, it was time to load up and return to the hotel for a warm dinner, and an early bedtime after a full day of travel, and winter time activities for a bunch of Floridians.

Ryan and Alex appear in Florida Today

Ryan and Alex are photographed for the Florida Today as particapants in the Cocoa Beach Christmas Parade.

The Christmas tree outing

Continuing a family tradition, the Christmas tree was purchased to be decorated without delay!!!!!!!!!!!!! The kids love this event.

Ryan in the Christmas parade

The Cocoa Beach Christmas Parade was another smash event this year as the boys marched with the Indian Guides, and Rachel with the Daisies. Merry Christmas

Toga Day at Freakdom 7

Ryan dons his Roman Toga for a special day at school